The healthcare industry offers diverse career opportunities that are growing much faster than the national average. With this growth, there are several benefits to entering a healthcare role, including job security, a multitude of work settings and specialties, good salaries, and career advancement opportunities.
Throughout history, healthcare has called to those who want to care for others and make a difference in their communities. As the industry grows and more roles are created to meet the population’s increasingly complex needs. If you are interested in the field, you might be asking, “Is healthcare a good career path?”
At St. Catherine University, we’ve been answering yes to that question since 1964, when we launched the first occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program in the U.S. Today, we continue to empower students to care for their communities with our online OTA program, which is held in four locations: California, Minnesota, Texas, and Virginia.
St. Kate’s knows that choosing a new career path is not a small decision. Take a look at some questions that can help clarify your decision and discover some benefits of the industry that may explain why many people choose a career in healthcare.
Why Choose a Career in Healthcare?
Healthcare is an incredibly rewarding industry, but it also comes with unique challenges. Many healthcare roles will have you working with people at their most vulnerable.
Once you understand the options a little better, examine what you’re looking for in a healthcare career. Think about the following questions:
- Are you a caregiver type who would like to work directly with patients or someone who’s more comfortable behind the scenes?
- Do you prefer to develop a relationship with one or two patients at a time or to work with several patients each day?
- Are you open to working various shifts, or do you need a regular nine-to-five schedule?
- Do you picture yourself working in a hectic hospital environment or in a quieter setting?
- How do you feel about being active and on your feet all day?
- How much additional education can you afford to achieve your employment goals?
- What kinds of changes, if any, are you willing to make to your current lifestyle to move into a health care career?
These questions may not lead you to one perfect career path, but they can help you narrow down your options and guide your research.
Discover the benefits and opportunities of an online OTA degree.
Is Healthcare a Good Career Path for the Future?
When choosing a new career, it’s important to know that once you’ve earned your degree and met any licensure or certification requirements, a job awaits at the end of the journey. In healthcare, there is a diverse range of titles and specialties, each with a different focus of care, degree level, skillset, and work environment.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupational therapy assistants is one of the fastest-growing healthcare occupations in the U.S. Its employment is projected to increase 19% by 2034.
Whether you want to pursue a career as a nurse, an OTA, a dietitian, a medical office assistant, or something else, there has never been a better time to choose a career in healthcare. Contribute to a dynamic industry while securing your own future and making an impact on the lives of those around you.
Benefits of Joining the Healthcare Field
Once you’ve put in the work for your education, you can enjoy the benefits of a long and rewarding career in healthcare. This industry growth translates into benefits across every aspect of a role, including job security, salary expectations, and advancement opportunities.
Job Security
The growth in healthcare careers is primarily driven by an aging population and the complex care needs of older adults. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (OASH) predicts that 22% of the population will be 65 or older by 2040.
OASH also reports that most older adults have at least one chronic health condition, and many have two or more, which often require specialized care. As a result, a greater number of healthcare professionals will be needed across a variety of roles.
This is a great time to enter healthcare and start building experience, making yourself an invaluable member of the industry.
Diverse Work Environments and Specializations
One element that attracts so many people to healthcare roles is the limitless environments and specializations to choose from. Whether you decide to become a nurse, OTA, or speech-language pathologist, you might find a role in a variety of settings, including:
- Client homes
- Hospitals
- Offices of other healthcare practitioners
- Private or public schools
- Skilled nursing facilities
While some specialties are defined by the environment, such as home health nursing, most are differentiated by the type of care they deliver. For instance, OTs and OTAs typically work within six unique practice areas:
- Children and youths
- Health and wellness
- Mental health
- Productive aging
- Rehabilitation and disability
- Work and Industry
Different settings and specialties may offer varying work schedules or require additional skills and education.
Interested in an OT career? Check out our guide on how to become an occupational therapy assistant.
Competitive Salaries and Career Advancement Paths
As the need for more healthcare professionals grows, salaries for many healthcare roles have increased to reflect that. Of course, physicians and surgeons still hold the top spot for annual salaries, according to the BLS. Healthcare, however, offers many points of entry and opportunities for advancement into higher-paying roles.
For example, the median salary for an OTA in 2024 was $68,340, while OTs earned a median wage of $98,340. Many OTs begin their careers as OTAs before pursuing a Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy (MAOT), and some universities offer programs that facilitate a seamless transition from OTA to OT education, such as St. Kate’s OT bridge program.
Consider Choosing a Career in Occupational Therapy
For many students, therapist or therapy assistant jobs offer an attractive option for entering the health care field, as educational programs may have fewer admissions requirements and the jobs themselves span a wide variety of employment settings and patient types.
Becoming an occupational therapy assistant (OTA), for example, can be a good point of entry into health care. OTAs work under the supervision of an occupational therapist (OT) but are the professionals who work most closely with the patient when carrying out the therapy plan. An OTA program, such as St. Kate’s online OTA option, allows students to graduate with their associate degree in occupational therapy in as few as 16 months through online courses, skills labs, and fieldwork. St. Kate’s OTA program also offers three start dates per year and accepts applications on a rolling basis.
Choose St. Catherine University for Your Healthcare Career
If you’re ready to begin your occupational therapy education, St. Kate’s admissions team can help you create an enrollment plan to meet the admissions requirements and meet your preferred start date in either January, May, or August.
Contact one of our dedicated admissions counselors to learn more about the next steps towards an OTA or OT career.
